To himself



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. A. BASSETT. BREEGH LOADING PIRE ARM.

Patentad Sept. 8, 1885.

fig "I,

Y )Am/HUBER# (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' E. A. BASSETT. BREEGH LOADING FIRE ARM.

No. 325,901. Pagenwd sept. 8, 1885.

' E., A. BAssBT-T. BREEGH LOADING FIRE ARM.

No. 325,901. Patented Sept.`8',-1885.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST A. BASSETT, OFV BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTSfASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF ANDNATHANIEL M. LOWE, OF SAME PLACE.

BRsEcH-LOADiNe Has-ARM. Y 'Y SPECIFICATION forming part of Lette PatentNo. 325,901-, dated September 8. 188,5.

' Application lllod March l1. 1884.- (No model.)

To alwhom it may concern.:l l

Be it known that I, ERNEST A. BAssErr, of Boston, ,in the county ofSuioclk and State of Massachusetts, have invented-certain new and usefulImprovements in Breech-Loading Fire-Arms, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to breech-loading hammerless guns, and theprincipal objects of the invention are to automatically eject thecartridge-shell from the barrel after the discharge of the gun by thelowering or swinging down of the barrel, and also by such mo'vement ofthe barrel to automatically move the hammer into its cocked position,and then lock its sear and trigger to prevent accidental discharge ofthegun, and to also move an ob struction or an abutment into the path ofthe hammer to prevent, in case the hammer should be accidentallyreleased from its engagement with its sear or cocked position, itsstriking or firing the cartridge if the gun should be loaded; and theinvention consists in a novel construction and arrangement of parts in abreech-loading-gun, all substantially as hereinafter fully described.

In the accompanying platesrof drawings' this inventionis illustrated.

In Plate 1, Figures 1 and 2 are detail longitudinal side views at the`breech-block and view of `the underside, with the outside of stock,&c., removed, and with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1; Figs.6, 7, and 8detail views, to be hereinafter referred to.

In Plate 3, Fig. A9 isadetail side elevation of parts operated bythe4barrel to lock the scar and trigger,'&c.;` Fig; 10, .a vertical sectionon line 1o 10, Fig. 9;Fig- 11, a datan sde View of breech end of barrel,the hammer and its spring, showing the hammer as the barrel; Fig. 13, adetail side view of breech end of the barrel and springs connectedtherewith to discharge the hammer and assist in closing the barrel afterbeing lowered; Fig. 14, a detail side view of hammer with a portion ofbreech-block in section, to be hereinafter referred to.

In the drawings, A represents the breechblock; B, the trigger-plate; C,the tang; D, thebarrel; E F, the barrel-lugs; G, the pivot on which thebarrels swing; H, the fore-end; J, the arm of the breech-block; K, thehammer; L, its spring; M, the Sear; vN, the triggers, all constructedand arranged for operation as usual in breech-loading guns,and needingno particular description herein, except so fai-'as the same are moreorless modified for the 'purposes of this invention. The hammer K ispivoted at a, swinging vertically thereon and adapted by its e'nd b todischarge the cartridge, as usual, by the action of lts spring L,connected to it by a link, P. The spring L, at its other end, d, isbentupward, and, as shown at its bend e, lies against and is confined by thepivot-pin G, 'which serves as a fulcrum, its end d entering into andengaging with a socket .or notch, f, in the under part of the barrel.

` The sear M, pivoted at g, engages bylts en d h with the notch l in thehammer K, to hold 1t 'in its cocked position. being held therein by Yitsspring m. secured to the trigger-plate B.

The other end', n, of the sear M is bent inward horizontally ator'snbstantially at a right angle in position for engagement, whendesired, with an open horizontal slot, q, in a plate, Q. This plate Q ispivoted at r to a bar or rod, R, arranged to slide longitudinallyforward and backward in a groove, s, in the trigger-plate B andbreech-block A, and pivoted at t to the lower end, u, of a verticallever, S, pivoted at v to the stock, the stock not being shown in thedrawings. Connected to this vertical lever S by a pivot, w, is apitman-rod, m, by its other end pivoted at y ,to one end of a lever, T,arranged to swing vertically on a pivot, z, of the stock orbreech-block. When this lever is swung into the position shown in Fig. 1more particularly, a shoulder, a', on its under side will be in thepathway of the travel ofthe end b of hammer in discharging the gun,

io and whereby the 'hammer will abut against such shoulder, so that incase the hammer ,j the barrel in lowering it to reload the gun or shouldbe accidentally or otherwise released from its engagement with its searin will strike against and rest ou such shoulder, preventing thereby thedischarge of the gun if loaded.`

Swinging this veritcal lever S to the left will, through its connectionwith lever T, cause its arm to move into such positionvfor the4 pur"Vpose described, and by the lever S, in the samel I 2o movement throughthe-bar R, connecting it with the slotted plate Q, said plate will bemoved into position for its slot q to engage the arm n of the scar M,holding it from movement and consequent disengagement with th'e hammer.

The plateQ has a curved slot, b', to slide over a pin, d, secured tothetrigger-plate, which guides the plate in its movement forward and backward-th at is,as pushed forward bythe lever it causes itsV end d to movedownward for its slot g to engage the arm n of scar M, and when movedbackwardto cause its end d tomove upwardand thus its slot q is released.from and moved out of the way of the scar-arm n, to allow the necessarymovement of `the sear to disengage with its hammer.

Reversing the movement of the lever S releases the plate from the searand movesthe swinging lever Tout of the path of the ham- 40 mer."

The upper end of the lever S is pivoted at f to a'downwardly-projectingarm, g, of a thumb-piece, U, which thumb-piece is arranged tov slideupon the upper surface of the tang C, being guided by its arm g" in alongitudinal slot, h', in the tang, by which thumbpiece U the "lever Scan be operated from the outside of the tang or stock. To secure thislever S when in its position to loekthe scar 5o and prevent movement ofthe several parts connected with it, and prevent thereby the dischargeof the gun, a cross-pin or projection, l', on the under side of thefreut end of the thumb-piece U is arranged to engage with a transverseslot, mf, inthe upper side -of the tang, being held t'o such engagement'by a spring, n', bearing upwardly against a down- Vward projection, d,of the thumb-piece U.

To release the thumb-piece U from its intert 6o lock with the tang,press down its rear end against its spring'q', Awhich will free itsfront end from the slot m', when the thumb-piece can be pushed forward,and thus through the lever lock the scar, &c., as described.

The rear end of the trigger N hasa V- shaped notch, r', into which theend s' of the plate Qfwhen moved forward will enter, and

sessel interlocking with the same prevent any movement ofthe trigger torelease the hammer. As the plate Q is moved back, it is disconnectedfrom the trigger, which is then free to be moved as desired.

Thus far the locking of the several parts to prevent any prematuredischarge of the gun isaccomplished by operating the lever S to nfovethe several parts by hand, but to do this automatically-that is, 'by themovement of for any purpose-the following arrangement of parts isprovided: The lug E has in its front face a vertical groove, t', havingan inclined beariugsurface, u', in which groove is arranged to move acorrespondingly-inclined arm, V, of the rod R connected t-o plate Q andlever S, and bearing against said surface u', as shown more particularlyin Fig. 2 in dotted lines. With the gun discharged and the 'parts in theposition shown in Fig. 2, more particularly, in swinging down the barrelto open its breech end to load'or unload., the lug E is raised, and inits movement its inclined bearing-surface u of the groove t' bearsagainst and presses the inclined arm V of bar R, `forcing the rodforward in its guiding-groove s, which carries with it the plate Qandthe lower end of the lever S, and through the rod-connection :c to leverT swings it into its lowermost position, thus automatically locking thetrigger, scar, lever, and the hammer from-dischargingl the gun.' Whenthe leverS is moved to unlock these several parts for the purpose ofdischarging the gun, the inclined arm V is brought into its properposition in said groove t for the again operation of the barrel upon itto lock the firing mechanism, as described.

block arm J, and arranged to swing vertically right angles against theunder side of the end h of the scar, and held to such bearing by aspring, xv', secured to arm J acting against the upper side of theother/end, y', of said lever.

X is a block or plate arranged to lay within a recess, Z', in the breechend of the barrel at. one side of the barrel, and cor-responding on itsside a with the internal bore of the barrel, and having at such portionash'ouldeqb, which forms a continuation of a correspondingshoulder orannular recess, d', in the end of the barrel, and in which shoulders bzd2 is adapted to be disposedthe flange of the cartridge-shell whenplaced' in the barrel. This rods, f,'one above the other, extendingforward and arranged .tof move backward and forward in sockets g in thebarrel.

Y is a lever or plate Varranged to swing vertieally by its open socket hon the pivotal pin G of the gun, and guided and limited in its movementsby a slot, l,.over a pin, m, of foreend H. This lever or plate Y has anarrow arm, n, concentric with its pivot G, which arm n7l is arranged toenter and pass into an opening, q, in the under side of the barrel,

W is a lever pivoxed at 'v' to the breech-y thereon, and to hear by oneend, w', bent at.

IOO

IIO

block or plateX has-two lhrizontal guideand bear by its end against theend s of the lower guide-rod, f, of the block or plate X.

t2 is a shoulder in the plate Y for its abutmentagainst the endy' oflever W, when said lever is in proper position in relation thereto.

The plate or lever Y is for the purpose of ejecting the cartridge-shellafter the gun has been discharged,and:in its movements for such purposeit is acted upon by a dat spring, Z, secured by one end at a2 to theunder side of the barrel, and-bearing by its free end 'v2 in a notch, w,in the plate Y.

The movement of the several parts to eject a cartridge-shell from thebarrel after the gun has been discharged are as follows: As the gun isdischarged, the end h of the sear M bears upon the portionr:2 f thehammer K, pressing thereby the end w of lever W downward, andcorrespondingly raising its other end, y,so that it will bein positionfor .the shoulder t2 of the plateY to abut against, as shown in Fig. 12.Now, unlock and lower the barrel, and as it moves down,the 'end r2 ofthe arm n ot' the plate Y' enters the opening q,of the gun, by which,through its bearing against the end s2 of the guide-rod f2, the-block Xis forced outward from its seat Z', as shown in Figs. 4 and `13,carrying the cartridge shell with it by its Bange, and when the barrelis suiciently lowered for the cartridge-shell to be thrown out and clearthe end A2 of breech-block A, the plateY will have reached such aposition relative to its pivotal point and the barrel and its spring Zaudits point of' attachment, that the spring will act with a suddenforce upon the vplate Y, and through it upon the carrier-block X,` sothat the cartridge-shell will be forcibly ejected from the barrel, theblock X and its guide-rods f 2 being prevented from escape by itsabutment against the end Aoi' the breechblock. Raise the barrel up andlock it with the breech-block, and iu such movement the' block X willbe' returned to its seat z" in the barrel with its cartridge, if one hasbeen pnt in to lload the gun,by the end A2 of the breechblock pressingagainst the same, and the plate Y, by the pressure of the end s ot rodfz against its arm n2, wi1l be swung into proper position for operationagain as before.

The action of the springZ, which causes, through the plateY and block H,the cartridgevshell to be ejected `from the barrel, isas follows:

As the barrel is lowered,the middle portion of the spring approachesthel barrel, and when the barrel has reached the proper position for thecartridge-shell tofbe ejected, the portion 1?2 of the spring Z, near itsend v, will have come to a bearing on a cross-pin, C2, in the fore-endH, and inithe further slight movement of the barrel the spring will bestraightened and bent slightly in the opposite direction,and in suchstraighteningasthelever-plate Y will have reached a position for itsshoulder t2, and center pivot, G, to be in line with the direction oftheforce exerted by the spring Z, the plate will be suddenly and forciblymoved up,:tnd such force being communicated cartridge.

as suddenly to the block X, the cartridge-shell will be quickly andforcibly. and with a jerk, as it were, ejected from its seat in theblock, and thus free from the barrel.

The mainspring L of the hammer acts upon the hammer to discharge thecartridge, and also serves,when'the barrels are swung down, to reload,or for any other purpose, to move the hammer Iinto-its cocked position,which is accomplished by the engagement of the end d of the spring withthe notch f in the barrel D, for, as the barrel moves downward, itcarries such end d with it, consequently raising the e-nd @and thusswings the hammer into position for its sear to engage `with it, asshown.

As the barrel is moved upward and locked, such movement carries with itthe arm d of t-he spring, and. as the end a.3 of the spring is preventedfromI movement by the cooking of the hammer the spring is compressed bybringing its arms toward each other, thereby increasing i-ts tension forthe proper forcible throw of the hammer to discharge the gun.

Then the barrel is swung down with the hammer cocked, the lever W willthen be in the position shown in Fig. tl---that is, its end 1/ will bemoved so that the shoulder t2 on the plate Y cannot engage with suchend, and thus the cartridge, if within the barrel, will not be ejected,as in such case the plate. would move or swing upon its pivot with thebarrel, and thus have no eiect upon the block X to eject the cartridge;also, with the hammer re- IOO leased, and the plate Ythereby bearing byits shoulder t against the end y' of lever W, if not desirous of havingthe cartridge ejected from thebarrel, turn the pin C2 half round, forwhich purpose one end, b3, extends to the outside ofthe arm ofbreech-block A, and is provided with a slot, c", in which can be placeda screw-driver for operating it; When the pin is so tnrned,it bringsinto position opposite the spring z an opening or cut-away portion, r,of said pin, into which the spring will move, and thus have no e'ectupon the plate Y to cause it to move to eject the shell or This pin hasa circumferential groove, f3, in which a set-screw, g, screwed, into theportion hs of fore-end projects to prevent any longitudinal movement ofsaid pin, and thus its escape from the gun.

IIO

In Fig. 13 is shown a spring, D, which acts 4 to assist in closing thebarrel when raising it after having reloaded or ejectedthe'cartridgeshell, and, as shown in such figure, one, Z, of

its arms is secured to the arm d of the mainspring L in any suitablemaner, and engages with the notch f of the b rrel, and' its free arm mibears against a shoulder, n", of the breech-block, and its tension issuch as to act on the barrel in such manner as to assist-to raise it toclose the gun.

In Fig. 3 is shown mea-ns for regulating and adjusting the pressure ofthe spring Z for its action on 'the ejector-plate Y, and consists ofattaching the end w ofthe spring to a block, (j, through which a screw,r, is arranged to turn its ends, being secured from longitudinalmovement by heads x bearing against earpieces t' in the fore-end H, andin which earpieces the screw is free to turn by any suitable means,which causes the block q to move forward and backward', and thus move itfarther from or nearer to the plate Y, and decrease or,

increase the pressure of the spring L thereon,1 There are manyadvantages in constructing a breech-lcading gan according te thisinvention-first, its absolute safety against accidental or prematuredischarge,`as, for instance, by locking itstrigger, its sear, and theoperating-lever and by swinging the lever T into position for theabutment thereon of the hammer in case the hammer should b e dischargedaccidentally; second, by the lowering of the barrel to reload it,thecartridge-shell is ejected from the barrel, the hammer is cocked, andthe parts designed to prevent the premature discharge of the hammer arebrought into their locked position for such purpose; third, when desiredthe barrel' can be lowered without ejecting the cartridge, and when twobar- -z5 rels are combined, if one only is discharged,

in swinging down `the barrels only the shell of the discharged cartridgewill be ejected for the reason as stated, that as the' other l hammerwould be cocked its respective lever 3o W wouldbeout of position for itsplate Yl to abut against the end y of such lever,and consequently itwould have no eect on the cartridge; fourth, the parts are all lockedautomatically and it is impossible to. lower the barrel without lockingthe-firing mechanismof the gun, also the mainspring not only acts uponthe hammer to discharge the car' tridge but also acts in the lowering ofthe barrel to move the hammer into cocked posi- 4r'. tion. When using agun having this invention 'applied thereto, if it has only one barrelthe lever W may be dispensed with and a permanent lug or projection bearranged on the 1.5'arm J for the shoulder w of the plate Y to abutagainst, although it is preferable to use the lever; but when twobarrels are used it is especially needed, in order, when only one`barrel is discharged and it is desired to eject 5o its cartridge, notto also eject the cartridge in the barrel not discharged. Y

The arm dof the spring L can be connected with the fore-end in lieu ofthe barrel, or to a pin caused to revolve by the lowering of thebarrels, it not being intended to limit the invention to any particularmanner in which the spring L is connected or operated for the purposedescribed. 3

.E is an arm extending from the lower edge 6) of the hammer K in a lineconcentric with the pivot a, and of a length suicient for its end u,whenthe hammer is cocked, to project through an opening, v, in thetrigger-plate B to the outside of the gun to indicate when the hammer iscocked, as shown in Fig. 14 more particularly.

Several of the pivotal connections of the various operating vparts haveelongated bear ings, and also are open at one end', as isplainly shownin the drawings,which secures free# dom`of movement of the operatingparts,and 'also allows of their being readily connected together.

The bar R can engage directly with thesear and triggers, if desired,instead of through the plate Q, having properly-constructed openings toconnect therewith, but it ispreferable to use an independent connectingdevice, asit is less likely to interfere with the movements of the searand triggers.

The spring D, in lieu of being attached to the arm d of spring L, 'canbe independent of it and adjusted with the barrel or fore-end; also itand the spring L can be made of one piece of metal being bent and foldedtogether at the arm, portion d and Z.

Although the description herein of this invent-ion -has beenparticularly in reference only to one barrel and its various connectingparts, the drawings illustrate the invention in connection with twobarrels, and', as is obvious, is as applicable thereto, and in such casesome of the parts are to be duplicated, as is easily understood.

In lieu of the swiveling pin C* any suitable bearing can be used, as,for instance, a setscrew arranged to screw into the fore-end.

For operating the-,plate Q to engage with the scar, the lever S can bepivoted directly to itin lieu of being connected thereto by the bar R.

Having thus described my invention, what II claim, is-

1. In a breech -loading gnu, in combination with the v hammer and itsscar, a plate, Q, adapted to engage with the scar and engaging with apin, c', and connected to a lever, S, by which the plate Q can be -movedto engage with saidsear to lock it with the hammer when in its cockedposit-ion.

2. In a breech-loading gun, the combina- IOO tion, with the hammer andits trigger, of a plate, Q, having a projection, s', to engage with aslot, r', of said trigger, and engaging with a pin, c', and connected toa lever, S, by which the plate Q can be moved to engage with saidtrigger to lock it when the hammer is in its cocked position.

3. In a breech-loadi gun, the combination,.with the hammer, lts sear andtrigger, of a plate, Q, having a slot, q, to engage with an arm, n, ofthe scar, a projection, s', to engage with a notch, r', in said trigger,and engaging with .a pin, c', and connected to alever,

S, by which the plate Qcan be moved to en.

gage with said scar and trigger to lock them when the hammer is in itscocked position.

4. In a breech -loading gun, the ccmbina'x tion, with the barrel, of abar, R, provided at" one end with the plate Q to engage with the sear,said bar being loted and arranged to' slide in thel brreechblock, andhaving its other end, V, in `position for the barrel as it is swung downto abut against said end V and move said bar forward, for the purposespecified.

5. In a breech-loading gun, in combination with the hammer and its sear,ofa plate, Q,

having a slot, q, to engageY with arm n of scar, and provided with aslot, b', engaging with and arranged to slide over a pin, c', and

. connected to a lever, S, by which the plate Q.

xo can be moved to engage with said sear to lock it and the hammer whenin its cocked position.

(i. In a breechloading gun, in combination with the scar M, of a plate,Q, adapted to engage' with the scar and'eonnected to an operating-lever,S, which connects with a lever, T, having a shoulder, a', 'for abutmentand locking of the hammer, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

7. In a breech-loading firearm, the combination, with the barrel havinga lng, E, pro vided with 1an inclined bearing-surface, u', of a bar, R,having an inclined arm, V, to engage with said bearing surface, said barbeing adapted by its other end to engage'with the scar M to secure itwhen interlocked with the hammer, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

8. In a breech-loading fire-arm, the combination, with the barrel havinga lug, E, provided with. an inclined bearingsurface, a', of a bar, R,jhaving an inclined arm, V, to engage with said bearingsurface, andconnected to a plate, Q, having an opening, q, to engage with the searto secure it when'interlocked withtthe hammer, substantially' as andl'or t-he purpose specified.

9. In a lneecll-loadii1g tiren-rm, the combination, withlthe barrelhaving a lug, E, providedwith an inclined bearing-surface, u', of a bar,R, having an inclined arm, V, to engage with said bearing-surface, andconnected to a plate, Q., having a projection, s', to engage with thetriggerto prevent movement ot' the same, substantially as described.

10.. In a breech-loading tire-arm, the combination, with the barrelhaving a lug, E, provided with an inclined bearing-surface, u', of abar, It, having an inclined arm, V, and con` nected to a plate, Q,having an opening, q. and projection s', to engage, respectively, withthe scar andtrigger, all substantially as and for the purpose specified.'i

11. In a breech-loading {ire-arm, in combi- 55 nation withthe barrelhaving a recess, f, of a spring having a bearing by its middle portionon the breech-block, and arranged by one arm to engagelwithsaidrecess,.and byl its other arm to bear aginst the breech-block, substan-6o tially as and for 'the purpose specified.

12. In a breech-loading fire-arm, the combination, with a pivoted plate,Y, and its spring Y Z, locatedibelow the barrel, of a bearing, G,

of the barrel, said plate .havingr an arm, n, ar-

l ranged to act against a guidefrod, f of a plate,

lever, W, pivoted to the breech-block and in 4plate from movement forthe cartridge-ejector X, adapted to fit the rear end of the barrel, andprovidedwith a shoulder, b2, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

13. In a breech-loading fire-arm, the combination, with a pivoted plate,Y, having a 7o 4 spring, Z, said plate being arranged to abut by itsshoulder t2 against the end of a lever, W, pivoted to the bpeech-block,and held to such abutment by the hammer, said plate having an a rm, n2,arranged to act against a guiderod, f,. of a block or plate, X, adaptedto tit the rear end of the barrel, and provided with a shoulder, b,substantially as Vand for'the purpose specified.

14. In a breech-loading {ire-arm, the combination, with -a plate, Y,arranged for operation to move a plate or block, X, to eject thecartridge, of. a spring secured by one end to 4the barrel or fore-end,and engaging by its free end with said plate, and to act against a 83-bearing, C, of t-he barrel, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

15. In a breech-loading firearm, the combination, with a plate, Y,arranged to operate to move a plate or block to eject the cartridge, ofa spring, Z, adjustably secured by oneend to the barrel or fore-end, andarranged to bearl by its free end upon said plate, and to act against abearing, C2, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

16. In a breech-loading gun,lthe combination, with the barrel or foreend provided with an abutment, C", and a spring, Z, attached thereto,ol'a plate, Y, having a shoulder, mi, for a bearing for the free endfvof the spring Z, and arranged by its end r to bear against an arm, j, ofthe cartridge ejecting plate X, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

1.7. In abreech-loading gun, ahammer provided with a rear projectingarm, E, in combination with an opening, n, in the triggerplate, into orthrough which opening said arm will project when the hammer is movedinto its cocked position for it to be seen from the outside of theplate, substantially as described.

-18. In a breech-loading gun, the combinal tion, with the hammer and itssear, of aspring- IOO position for the scar to bear on one, u, of itsends when the hammer is moved into a cocked position, and yfor its otherend, y', to engage with a shoulder, t, of a plate, Y, to hold said r 2oto abut against it to. eject the cartridge as.. the barrel is lowered orswung down, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing wit. x25

nesses. I

ERNEST A. BASSETT. Witnesses:

EDWIN W. BRo'wN, WM. S. BELLows.

